The Neighborhoods Are Moved

The 2015 quadrennial City elections are over and we can all go back to our daily life.  In the past, elected officials, once in office, were pretty much used to placating their neighborhood folks and organizations. They knew that not much was going to effect their future elections as long as they fixed the potholes. When they received concerns and questions from community activists they perceived as a few, mostly older people, that claim to represent a much larger group of residents, they could gently disregard them. But, things are changing in the big city.

An interesting thing has happened over the past 6 years. Many members of Registered Neighborhood Organizations (RNOs), civic-minded, motivated and intelligent people from all around the city, have networked, researched and advocated for an overall transparent approach to public policy and for holding elected officials accountable when they act.

Over this time, neighborhood representatives, have called into question numerous actions and omissions by their elected representatives, did not forget what they said and how they acted and they shared this information widely. Much of this networking can be attributed to INC. With the advent of the municipal elections, RNOs, on their own and  with the support of  their umbrella association, INC, have begun to ask and survey every candidate on important questions.  The RNOs and INC then shared the answers with their members and the public, thus helping to create a truly informed electorate.  The questions are not softball questions but specific as to how a candidate would stand when dealing with important issues, like development, parks, safety and more.

I believe that for the first time in many years, through networks of individual, concerned neighborhood residents operating throughout the City, along with more effectively providing information online and through social media, neighborhood voices were actually heard and many candidates motivated by neighborhood concerns were elected. I believe this trend is irreversible and, as information travels faster to more places and people become more knowledgeable, our local government leadership can and will become more accountable. It is then, during the time between elections, that Denver’s RNO’s and INC’s public policy role becomes a critical and integral part of the local democratic system.

Most of us did not get involved with our neighborhoods for our health. We care deeply about the future of Denver. We are those who are willing to put our lives, our families and many times our economic well-being on hold to pay attention to what is going on in our neck of the woods and across the city. We are looking to be a proactive  partner with our City government to help keep things in balance.

I cannot think of anything more important than having the best possible elected officials really looking after our interests, communicating openly with us and working diligently to find the right solutions.

Larry Ambrose

Denver INC President